Grilled-Chicken-and-Asparagus Salad with Parsley Pesto |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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Parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and oil-that's all it takes to make an outstanding dressing. The secret is in using a lot of parsley. You'll be surprised how flavorful it is. Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3) |
1/3 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil |
salt |
fresh-ground black pepper |
1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off and discarded |
1 clove garlic |
2 tablespoons water |
1 1/2 cups loosely packed parsley leaves |
1 tablespoon lemon juice |
3 heads bibb lettuce (about 1 1/2 pounds in all), torn into bite size pieces (about 4 1/2 quarts) |
Directions:
1. Light the grill or heat the broiler. Coat the chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Grill or broil the chicken for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until just done, about 5 minutes more. When the chicken breasts are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-size pieces.
2. Toss the asparagus spears with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil and 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Grill or broil the asparagus, turning occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes, depending on the width of the spears. Cut the spears into 2-inch lengths.
3. In a blender, combine the garlic, water, parsley, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1/3 cup oil. Puree until smooth, scraping down the side of the blender with a spatula as necessary.
4. In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, toss the lettuce, chicken, and asparagus with half the vinaigrette. Put the salad on plates. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the salads.
5. Wine Recommendation: Asparagus can be hard to pair with wine, but sauvignon blancs from New Zealand handle the vegetable well, partly because they taste a bit like asparagus themselves. In addition, they are crisp enough to stand up to the vinaigrette.
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